The China Foreign Trade Center, the organizer of the China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), launched a promotional campaign for the exhibition in Saudi Arabia to promote the event in the region and attract more participants to the exhibition's 119th edition, given the importance of the Saudi market as a major trade force in the region. The promotional campaign for the Canton Fair was launched recently during a press conference held at the InterContinental Hotel in Jeddah in the presence of Hakel Wen, international VIP Service Executive at the China Foreign Trade Center. The event also aims to encourage Saudi investors to expand cooperation and establish closer ties with Chinese traders. Saudi Arabia is one of the largest and most important trading partners with China in Western Asia and Africa. Bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and China have developed significantly since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1990, and especially after bilateral relations were upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership on January 20, 2016 during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia and China are expected to sign major economic and trade agreements. On Tuesday, the two countries signed 14 agreements and memorandums of understanding on the economic Silk Road belt, cooperation in science and technology, satellite navigation, and the development of a mechanism to fight terrorism. The China Import and Export Fair – Canton Fair – has become an important platform for China's foreign trade sector and a landmark of open trade exchange in China. The exhibition plays a key role in advancing China's foreign trade, as well as driving economic and commercial exchanges between China and the rest of the world. Canton Fair is co-hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Guangdong Provincial Government, and is organized by the China Foreign Trade Center. Since 1957, Canton Fair has been held in the spring and autumn seasons each year in Guangzhou, China. It is the oldest fair in China aged 59 years old, and includes diverse products in various business fields, as well as the largest participation of buyers from 213 countries. The 118th Canton Fair, which closed on 4 November 2015, attracted 177,544 buyers from 213 countries and areas. These figures reflect the huge commercial value of Canton Fair and its important role in global trade. More than 2,800 Saudi businessmen visited the 118th Canton Fair. Canton Fair is a wide-ranging and specialized commercial event focused on international market demands. It contains more than 150,000 high-quality products, including future Chinese and non-Chinese products, as well as about 24,000 products from around the world. The upcoming 119th Canton Fair will promote integration and market its products online, currently on its official website, which will be a window for the exhibition's products and the products of key exhibitors, and allows previous visitors to select their favorite products before visiting the exhibition. The 119th Canton Fair adopts "Made in China" as a slogan. At the exhibition's 101 edition, the international wing was added to promote a balanced growth of imports and exports, which continued through the 18 following exhibitions, including the 119th Canton Fair. The 118th Canton Fair included 998 international wings representing 604 companies from 40 countries and areas. At the current 119th edition, the international wing was held over an area of 20,000 square meters, and organizers will continue to adopt the existing professional approach based on market diversity, inviting more exhibitors from outside China, and enriching the marketing campaign, which will enhance and enrich the international wing, thus the exchange of experiences with foreign exhibitors. The promotional campaign relies on inviting buyers. In September 2014, Canton Fair was launched for the first time on social media, namely on an international global platform such as Facebook. The Fair's official page provides the latest information and responds to inquiries. The page now has 420,000 strong followers, thanks to the launch of a reward program for distinguished buyers. Canton Fair organizers will continue to make restaurant and hotel reservations, as well as car rentals and interpretation services for new buyers from 75 countries and areas. Canton Fair has an e-commerce platform, which includes reliable information that is provided to the purchaser on request, in addition to global promotional channels, such as the Internet, commercial services, credit systems, and compensation systems. Currently, the global economic situation is witnessing a big change. This makes the 119th Canton Fair a unique platform for economic and trade cooperation between China and other countries, and is expected to attract global attention. The duration of the fair is the same as the 118th fair. The 119th Canton Fair will be held in the China Import and Export Fair Complex (Canton Fair Complex) from April 15 to May 5, 2016.
